Four different vignettes are featured in this routine anthology of love stories supposedly based on historical truths. In the first tale, King Louis XIV has just acquired a new mistress, but a dashing swashbuckler by the name of Lauzan (Jean-Paul Belmondo) tricks him out of this new conquest. The second story, a melodrama, is set in the 19th century and involves an older woman (Simone Signoret) in conflict with a lover who wants to leave her. The third segment is set in the Middle Ages, when the winsome daughter (Brigitte Bardot) of a lowly barber is the target of the local Prince's affections. She is also the target of some others who charge her with witchcraft. In the last story which takes place in the 19th century, two French actresses do battle over a coveted role and an equally coveted Baron. Other top names in French cinema complete the cast: Alain Delon, Jean-Claude Brialy, and Annie Girardot. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi